Saluting the unsung local heroes

Dubai: Dubai's unsung heroes were recently honoured with special performance awards by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Gulf News speaks to Dubai's heroes, who have worked diligently throughout their long years of honest and dedicated service to the public.

Policewoman breaks social limitations

Zainab Baran Zahmat defied convention and social pressure when she decided to join Dubai Police thirty-four years ago.

Despite the taboo of women joining law enforcement agencies, Zainab was determined to prove herself.

"It was due to financial reasons that I decided to take the job, nothing else," she said through her daughter because she only speaks Farsi.

Zainab was born in the port city of Bander Abbas, Iran and moved to Dubai fifty-five years ago with her parents, who were here for business. She never went to school and largely got by using Farsi in Dubai. She later married an Iranian, the date for which she does not remember.

When her father moved back to Iran, she and her husband decided to start a family and settle in Dubai. They now have nine children, all of whom continue to live in Dubai.

She was the second woman to join Dubai Police. The first, she said, was her neighbour who set a precedent in the neighbourhood and the entire emirate.

"I faced some pressure when I first decided to join. People would frown upon it and say that kind of a job is not for women. But I was determined to take the job because we needed the money. I had to brush off the pressure, Besides, my husband didn't mind it. If a man could do the job, so could a woman," she said.

Her starting salary as a female prison warden at Dubai Police was Dh400, a blessing at the time. It was a good salary, she said, a source of a much needed income.

There were not too many female criminals back then, she recalled. "Most of the cases were minor crimes and we occasionally got women who were locked up for murder," she said.

After twenty years as a prison warden, she moved to accompany female inmates to and from the prison.

Zainab considers herself lucky to have lived through the fast changing face of Dubai and the UAE. One of the biggest changes she witnessed was the establishment of the union, which saw the six, and then seven, emirates form a new state.

She lists traffic and the influx of people as other significant changes to Dubai.

Zainab still works for Dubai Police. "She's old so she doesn't have much work. But she's still there," said her daughter. Although she is generally happy she suffers from problems in her legs which have caused difficulty in walking.

"I need surgery done on both my legs, but I'll need Dh150,000 for that which I currently don't have," she said.

It's a dream fulfilled for Dewa driver

Job security and few career opportunities made Ahmad Abbas Al Beloushi to work in the same position for more than 30 years, saying his positive attitude towards life brought back many sentimental rewards.

He was among the 33 unsung heroes honoured recently by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Al Beloushi, a driver at the Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) has been working for the past 40 years and says he witnessed major changes in the company and country.

The now 61-year-old who holds a UAE passport but is originally from Iran, said he came to Dubai when he was only five years old with his parents and ever since that time he has settled in the country along with his wife and 12 children (seven boys and five girls).

Now he has four grand children.

"I still remember back in the old days when there was no electricity and water was scarce. We used to go from Deira to Bur Dubai using the abra which used to cost less than Dh1. Now we are bombarded by many travelling expenses such as Salik road toll. Sometimes it's difficult to find my way around in the city," he said while laughing.

Dubai's 'unsung heroes' were recently honoured with special performance awards by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Gulf News speaks to Dubai's heroes, who have worked diligently throughout their long years of honest and dedicated service to the public.

Dubai Police's dedicated tailor

Atta Mohammad Saleh has been serving as a tailor for the Dubai Police for over 45 years now. Dedication and a passion for his tailoring profession has ensured that the 85-year-old was among the 33 unsung heroes honoured recently by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Born in Pakistan with no educational background, Saleh settled in Dubai in 1955 following several trips across the Gulf region in search of work. Young Saleh did not hold a stable full-time job until he was employed by the Dubai Police in 1964. He eventually married and started a family.

According to Saleh's son Abdul Rahman, his father got married in 1966 and had seven sons and three daughters. Most of the children completed their upper primary education. They were educated in private schools as they were not allowed to study in public schools that were only accessible to UAE citizens.

Saleh began on a salary of only Dh90 per month. He earns Dh2,400 today. He is known for his professionalism and dedication.

"For the past 45 years, my father has been working from 7.30am to 2.30pm at Dubai Police. He used to cater to senior police officials and even members of the ruling family. Now due to his old age, he only deals with police officers," Rahman said.

Saleh managed to set up two tailoring shops in Dubai between 1972 and 1999, but had to close them down as age took its toll.

He used to work in the shops till 10pm after finishing his shift in the Dubai Police.

"Till this day I see my father using his sewing machine at home with my mother helping him. It is beautiful to see them stitching clothes even at this age," Rahman said.

Rahman said" "I tried to learn the skills from him, but I was too busy with my job in the armed forces. I was discharged in 2001 because I was not a UAE national. Now I work as a branch manager at the Dubai Driving institute."

He is committed to his children's education

Abdul Qadir Abdul Rahman has been dedicated to his job at Dubai Customs for more than 30 years and hopes for the day his children will get better opportunities in life than he had.

He was among the 33 unsung heroes honoured recently by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The Iranian janitor has 12 children (seven girls and five boys) who almost all managed to complete their higher education in private schools. The family used to live in Dubai but now there are residing in Ajman.

"The major challenge in my life is to afford my children's education which is a continuous struggle as I still have few of my children in schools. One of them is very intelligent and loves education and I would love to see him in university," he said.

"One of my daughters is a special needs and is not educated as I can't find an affordable school to accommodate her nor can I afford schools that will," he said

"I lead a simple and humble life & I start my working day with a smile and end it with a smile. People should learn to do that more often as staying positive always pays off. Monetary gain can never measure up to recognition," he said.

Do you know of similar unsung heroes? Have you ever given them credit for their work? Would such reports make your realise the true value of unsung heroes in your life? How?

Your comments

Bravo, these are the real heroes, serving tirelessly to serve the nation.
Salim Shaikh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 09, 2009, 13:31

My eyes became wet as I saw my father, who is retired for more than two years, as he had also given half of his life to this beautiful and peaceful country working in Sharjah. My salute to the unsung local heroes.
Taher Raza
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: May 09, 2009, 12:56

My salute to them who made their best for building a nation. My heartiest thanks to the authority to shed light for those people's dedication. It is very touchy and inspirational for the followers.
Imran Al Bari
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: May 09, 2009, 12:18

Congratulations to all heores, my prayers for them and we must follow them for their dedication towards the country's progress, my regards for them.
Mohammad Yunus Manair
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 09, 2009, 11:51

My salute to these heros, due to which Dubai has become a heart throb for so many expatriates.
Mustafa Shabbir
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: May 09, 2009, 09:34

Grate work they done, God bless them. These people work for this nation. without them how our UAE can survive? Their work, dedication, achievement, honesty are a inspiration for new generation.
Unnikrishnan Raman
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 09, 2009, 09:26